MIT will participate in the City of Cambridge's "Ecotour" this Saturday, May 13 with displays about environmental work, tours of the William R. Dickson Cogeneration Plant and the involvement of the MIT Solar Electric Vehicle Team.
The Ecotour, which is part of the city's "GoGreen" activities in May, includes tours of sites of environmental interest throughout Cambridge. MIT's Environmental Management Office has coordinated the Institute's participation in the Ecotour.
Activities at MIT will run from 10am-3pm. The lobby of Building 34 (50 Vassar St.) will serve as the starting point for visitors to the MIT activities and will include displays by several areas about their work.
For example, the Program on Environmental Education and Research will show a portfolio of environmental research and how it is being incorporated into educational programs at MIT. Graduate students in the Building Technology Program will have a display about their project in China to help create innovative building designs and technology to reduce energy consumption. And the Environmental Management Office will showcase environmental initiatives on MIT's campus.
Tours of the cogeneration plant will be given at 11am, noon, 1pm and 2pm by Roger Moore, superintendent of utilities, and Peter Cooper, assistant director for utilities. People who want to take the one-hour tour should wear walking shoes and meet in the lobby of building 34. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.
In addition, the Solar Electric Vehicle Team is planning to drive its Manta GTX vehicle to four locations on the Ecotour. These include Harvard Square, Porter Square, the City of Cambridge's recycling dropoff center on Hampshire Street and MIT. The vehicle's MIT stops will be across from Building 34 from 10-11am and 2-3pm.
The Manta GTX is the vehicle that competed in the Australian World Solar Challenge race last October. It finished first in its class, first of the US teams, first of teams using lead-acid batteries and eighth overall out of 40 entries.
Cambridge's May 13 events also include the annual cleanup of Magazine Beach, which will take place from 9:30am-noon. Staff from the Sea Grant Program plan to participate, as they usually do. Others who are interested in helping should meet at the Little League field near the BU Bridge. Gloves, trash bags and refreshments will be supplied to participants.
Details about Cambridge's other "GoGreen" activities can be found on the city's web site or by calling 349-4604.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on May 10, 2000.
